


Mononoke

by MamaBearCat



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Clash of cultures, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Inspired by Princess Mononoke, Slow Burn, human vs nature, industrialisation vs natural world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBearCat/pseuds/MamaBearCat
Summary: A young miko in training is injured in a battle to protect her village, by a darkness no one has ever seen before. Fated by the Kami to confront the evil, she travels with her kitsune friend Shippou to find out more about the mysterious darkness that has cursed her, and hopefully find a cure. She didn't expect to get embroiled in a battle between youkai, villagers and the local Lord. And she definitely didn't expect to meet Inuyasha.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 35





	Mononoke

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Princess Mononoke for the first time two weeks ago. And I can't remember the last time a movie gripped me so tightly - the music, the animation, the themes of war, family, nature vs industrialisation - I wanted to create something. And in the main two characters, San and Prince Ashitaka, I could clearly see Inuyasha and Kagome. And a big nod goes out to the amazing Lenbarboza, whose artwork of Inuyasha as San and Kagome as Ashitaka was a big inspiration. So, here we go. I can't promise this fic will be updated swiftly, because I want to be careful with each chapter, and make sure that I am doing the movie justice. I hope you enjoy it!

Kagome ran along the top of the low stone wall that bordered the village, fear hastening her feet. _Where was he?!_ She scanned the edge of the forest, but there was no sign of Souta or his friends amidst the shadows of the trees. Of all the days for them to leave the safety of the village to pick mushrooms! Kagome’s stomach churned as she tightened her grip on her bow, the usually comforting weight of the full quiver of arrows against her back doing little to calm her fear for the young boys.

The impending peril that her mentor Kaede had sensed approaching from the forest was now so strong that even _she_ could feel it with her untrained reiki. The ancient forest that bordered the village on the western side was usually a cool and tranquil place that she loved, filled with animals and birds, teeming with life. The villagers only took from the forest what they needed, and it was rare for any kind of danger to come from that direction, the forest feeling like a benevolent provider. But today, the shadows of the huge trees felt menacing, like an oncoming storm, crackling with malice.

The men and women working in the fields had hurried back to the safety of the village as soon as the warning bell had sounded, but Souta and his friends had failed to return, and her mother was frantic. With Ji-chan on duty in the watch tower today, Kagome had begged Kaede to be released from her duties to go find the missing boys. But time was running out. If they needed to defend the village against attack from the forest, her place as an apprentice miko was at Kaede’s side, not out here alone.

A sudden movement in front of her drew her attention from the forest, and small head of coppery hair popped up amidst the waving sea of waist high grass bordering the wall, closely followed by bright green eyes that peered at Kagome inquisitively.

“Hey Kagome, what ya doin’ out here? I thought you were training with Kaede today?”

Kagome jumped down from the wall to land next to the small barefoot boy wearing a slightly tattered leaf green kimono. His head and shoulders reached just above the waving grass, and although the colouring of his red hair and green eyes were highly unusual in their dark haired village, his cheeky grin was similar to any other boy from their village around six or seven summers old. But appearances could be deceiving.

Many years ago, while she still lived with her family before becoming Kaede’s apprentice, she had found a small fox cub injured and abandoned in the deep snow, barely clinging to life. With her mother’s help she had nursed the tiny kit back to health during that bleak winter, and it was only in the springtime when his injuries had fully healed that he had revealed himself to be a kitsune. Even though some of the villagers still looked askance at him, Shippou had been a firm friend to her family ever since. She knew she could count on his help to find the boys quickly.

“Shippou, thank goodness! Please help me find Souta! Kaede said there’s something evil approaching, and I think he and his friends went into the forest!”.

“Yeah, somethin’s coming alright.” She watched as Shippou dropped the appearance of a small boy that he usually used when close to the village, reverting to his fox form, the red youkai markings on his furry forehead and cheeks clearly visible to Kagome now that she was more in tune with her reiki. “Climb on Kagome, I can run faster than you.”

Shippou was larger and much stronger than an average fox, but now that she was older, she could only ride on his back if she kept her knees and feet tucked up, letting the heavy red fabric of her hakama drag a little along the ground. Making sure her bow and quiver was secure, Kagome climbed onto Shippou’s back, leaning her body close to his spine to allow him to move as fast as possible.

She twisted the fingers of one hand nervously in the thick glossy fur near Shippou’s shoulders, her other gripped her bow tightly as she did her best to push down the anxiety churning in her stomach. She was as yet untested in the role of a village protector, even though she was skilled with a bow, thanks to her father’s thorough teaching before he had passed away ten years before. This felt like her first serious test as an apprentice miko, one she could not afford to fail. She had to find the boys and get them back safely.

“Don’t worry Kagome, the kid’s not stupid”, Shippou yipped as he weaved through the tall summer grass. “He wouldn’t have gone too far.” When they failed to find the boys along the perimeter of the forest near the tall pine trees where villagers usually picked mushrooms, Shippou doubled back and ran along the narrow dirt road surrounding the village, his soft paws making little noise despite his speed. They rounded the hillside and Kagome sighed in relief when she saw three young boys up ahead. They had found them.

“Look, there he is, safe and sound”, yipped Shippou. “Told ya we’d find him.”

“Soutaaaa!” Kagome yelled.

Souta turned towards them at her call and jogged back along the road, with his two friends Kenta and Daisuke close behind, each carrying a furoshiki stuffed with mushrooms.

“Hey Shippou!” Souta panted, catching his breath. “Kagome, why are you out here - I thought you were meant to be training with Kaede today? Is everything okay?”

Kagome scowled at him, her previous fear now manifesting as sisterly annoyance. She reached forward from her seat on Shippou’s back and flicked the young boy hard on the tip of his nose, ignoring his yelp. “That’s where I _would_ be, if I hadn’t had to come looking for you, dummy! Why didn’t you return to the village when the warning bell sounded? Mama is so worried about you! You know you’re meant to return to the village at once when the warning bell sounds!”

“Yeah, I know!” he huffed, rolling his eyes. “We just stopped to see Jiji on the way back to make sure he heard. He saw something from the lookout tower!”

“Jiji saw something?” Kagome looked towards the western watchtower overlooking the forest. All the more elderly villagers took turns at manning the towers once they found work in the fields difficult. She could just make out her grandfather’s thin hunched form sitting on the platform at the top of the tall wooden structure, his gaze directed towards the forest.

“Yeah, something is in the forest”, piped up Kenta. “Something was knocking the trees over – big ones. And we noticed when we were picking mushrooms that the forest is really quiet - all the birds have gone, the animals too. We didn’t go too far in today, it felt creepy.”

Kagome glanced back towards the safety of the village, then to the tower. Should she go talk to her grandfather and find out more, or head straight back now that she’d found the boys, as Kaede had requested? Surely it would make more sense to have as much information as possible about whatever danger was headed towards the village? Making a quick decision, she nodded decisively then turned her gaze back towards the young boys, who were hopping from one foot to another in a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

“Shippou and I will go to the watchtower and check with Jiji. You three hurry back home as fast as you can, okay? And make sure Mama knows that you are back Souta – she was worried about you!”

“All right. Be careful oneechan!” called Souta over his shoulder, as the boys began to jog down the path towards the village.

There was a loud crash from behind them, and Shippou and Kagome whipped their gaze back to the forest in time to see a tall fir tree topple not too far from the forest edge. They both froze, holding their breath, but nothing appeared. The silence was eerie. Shippou’s nose twitched, his tail bristling out behind him. “I don’t like this Kagome” he whined. “Somethin’ big is coming, and I don’t think it’s friendly.” Kagome stroked the fur on his neck soothingly.

“We’ll make it fast, okay Shippou? You can wait at the bottom of the tower for me, I’ll just check in with Ji-chan quickly, and then we’ll run back to the village. You can stay with Mama and Souta when we get back.”

Shippou took off at a run, and within minutes they arrived at the old wooden structure, which she climbed with the surefootedness of someone who had scaled the tower many times before. She had often been in charge of bringing her grandfather’s lunch to him before she had been chosen by Kaede to be her apprentice. Her sharp eyes picked out movement in the trees as she neared the top.

“Something's there!” She clambered up through the opening to the platform, crouching down next to her grandfather and placing one hand softly against his bony shoulder. “Jiji, did you see it too?”

He nodded curtly, his weathered fingers gripping the wooden safety rail firmly. He turned his serious gaze towards Kagome. “I did. It isn't human child. You need to get back to the village and warn Kaede.”

“She’d already sensed that something was coming, and the warning bell has been rung.” She tugged on her grandfather’s sleeve nervously. “Jiji, you need to come with me too. Kaede’s calling everybody back to the village so she can perform a barrier spell to protect us.”

“There. Look child!” A swelling darkness loomed under the trees, making the shadowed forest pitch black. Kagome withdrew an arrow from her quiver, nocking it quickly and aiming it at the darkness. Suddenly the stone wall that bordered the forest, a wall that had stood longer than anyone could remember, was burst asunder as a creature of darkness tore it apart.

Kagome reeled back in disgust, watching as the thing lurched forwards on many legs like a spider, killing the plants and grass as it dragged its distended body forwards. The stench was foul, like a corpse left to rot in the noon day sun.

“It's some kind of youkai!” her grandfather yelled.

Kagome tightened her grip on her bow, her bowstring making a creaking noise as she kept it taut. _Would she be strong enough to protect her village?_ The darkness peeled back momentarily, revealing a giant boar youkai underneath the cloak of malevolence, who bellowed with rage. _Maybe the youkai itself wasn’t evil, just the darkness surrounding it? A possession by malevolent shoki maybe?_

The miasma dropped down again, covering the boar like a thundercloud, and red eyes gleamed amidst the darkness as it began to propel itself towards them on spindly limbs. A small yip of fear came from below, and Kagome suddenly remembered Shippou. She leaned out over the tower dangerously, her grandfather grabbing the back of her hakama to prevent her falling.

He was cowering against a thick beam, frozen with fright, his fox tail bristling. Even though he was a youkai and physically much stronger than herself, he was still young, and the sight of this darkness barrelling towards him at high speed had him petrified.

“Run, Shippou! Run!” Kagome yelled. In desperation, she released her arrow, aiming it a beam close by him to get his attention. He shuffled back in fright as it thudded into the wood, ears flattened. “Run Shippou!” she screamed. Just in time, he was off, running away from danger. But the possessed boar demon continued on, its heaving bulk crashing into the rickety wooden tower, which splintered like toothpicks.

Kagome screamed as the tower pitched forwards. Grabbing her grandfather’s arm, she helped him gain his footing on the railing as they toppled towards the ground, just managing to leap free and into the safety of a nearby tree as the tower went over a steep incline. Her grandfather’s pained groan had Kagome panicking.

“Are you okay Jiji?” she panted, patting his frail body carefully, looking for injuries.

“I’m fine child”, he wheezed, “just a little winded. Where is the youkai?”

Kagome peered through the branches, watching as the darkness turned, then headed down the hill at speed.

“It's headed for the village!” she gasped. “Jiji, stay here, I've got to stop it!” She leaped down, thankful that her quiver and bow had survived their sudden flight into the tree. Her grandfather called down to her from his perch up on a sturdy limb.

“Kagome, be careful! That thing is cursed! Don't let it touch you!”

Kagome nodded, then sprinted off, chasing behind the devastation that the youkai left in its wake. _I’ve got to be faster, or I’ll never catch it in time!_ Shippou ran up, appearing out of the long grass where he’d been hiding, and she gratefully climbed onto his back. He was shaking with fear, and she stroked her hand soothingly over his neck as he ran.

“Thank you for coming back to help Shippou. Don’t worry, I won’t let it get near you – we just have to turn it away from the village.”

Shippou ran sure footedly down the rocky incline, weaving in amongst the trees to keep pace with the darkness, forcing Kagome to duck low to avoid the branches.

“Get in front of him Shippou”, she whispered. “I’m going to try and talk him into turning around.”

“Are you crazy!” he yipped, almost losing his footing in surprise at her suggestion. “Kagome, you can’t reason with something like that!”

“There was a boar youkai under that darkness; he may be innocent and need my help! I have to try Shippou – please!”

Quivering in agitation, Shippou increased his pace so that he pulled out in front of the many limbed darkness crashing through the trees, leaving decay in its wake. Tightening her thighs against Shippou’s shoulders, Kagome turned her upper body to look behind her, trying to present a calm exterior, even though her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. The malice radiating off the thing now that she was close to it made her want to shut her eyes and scream in terror, but she grit her teeth against her fear. She held her hand out in supplication towards the creature, as a gesture of good will.

“Calm your fury, o mighty lord! Please leave us in peace and go back to the forest!”

But the creature made no indication that it could even hear her words, continuing to barrel forwards towards the village. Kagome squinted as Shippou burst out of the cover of the trees and back into the bright sunlight, the creature following close behind. She blinked, then realised with horror that the creature was no longer chasing them, but had turned aside to follow the path that her brother and his friends had taken back to the village.

“Quick Shippou!”

“I’m on it Kagome! Hang on!”

Shippou turned to get along side the creature, panting as he tried to keep up with the sudden surge of inhuman speed the many legged darkness now put on as it spotted the three boys on the hill just above the village. They saw Kenta turn and see the dark youkai, his mouth and eyes wide with surprise.

“A monster! Run!”

Then the boys were running as fast as they could, their feet slipping on the grassy slope. Kagome watched in horror as Souta urged the others on, then turned back to look at her. He looked terrified.

“Quick, we have to get Kaede!” Souta yelled. “We can’t leave Kagome to do this on her own!” His momentary inattention to where his feet were caused him to stumble, and he slid into a heap at the bottom of the grassy incline. His friends dragged at his arms as he attempted to gain his footing. 

“Souta, get up! Run! Come on! Hurry!” Kenta screamed, tugging at his friends arms. Daisuke drew his short knife, his eyes locked on the terror that was charging towards them.

Kagome and Shippou weaved backwards and forwards in the path of the darkness, in a futile attempt to slow it down.

“Go back! Please!” Kagome pleaded, her bow held out towards the monster. “Leave our village alone! We’ve done nothing! Go back to the forest!” She glanced forward towards the boys, who were now running back to the safety of the village, but not fast enough.

“Stop! Please! Stop!” In desperation she nocked an arrow, murmuring a prayer to the heavens as she charged the pointed arrow tip with reiki, then shot it at the creature’s glowing red eye, hitting it point blank. Her pink reiki sparked massively against the heaving blackness covering the boar, and the youkai screamed, the noise deafening.

The darkness writhed and roiled, suddenly shooting out countless spindly limbs of blackness towards Kagome and Shippou. The kitsune dodged through the grass, swerving from side to side in an effort to evade the darkness heading towards them. But he was not fast enough. One shot out beyond the reach of the others, wrapping Kagome’s slender forearm in tendrils of malice that cut into her flesh, burning through the white fabric of her hakui.

She let out an agonised yell, and without thought her fist glowed pink with her reiki, separating the writhing tentacle like appendage in two and driving the darkness back. Panting, she pulled her arm free and drew another arrow, even as the small tendrils of darkness still remaining continued to burn her arm. The darkness on the creature rolled back, momentarily revealing the boar’s massive head. Sending out a silent apology, she shot it point blank into the centre of its skull.

Shippou halted a small distance away from the huge boar, his flanks heaving as he panted for breath. “Kagome, are you okay? Did it get you?”

Kagome couldn’t answer. Now that the imminent danger had passed, the full pain of her injury slammed down on her. Sweat broke out on her brow, and she grit her teeth, fighting the sudden need to vomit and pass out. The darkness wrapped around her arm dissipated, melting away like smoke in the breeze to reveal blackened whorls of flesh. A sudden crash dragged her faltering eyes upwards, and she slid from Shippou’s back to the ground, watching as the massive boar went down. Shippou stood over her protectively, still in his fox form, snarling at the youkai that had hurt his friend.

“She killed it! Kagome!” Souta bellowed, running back towards her. He reeled back at the sight of her arm. “Quickly, someone fetch Kaede, she’s hurt!” The other boys ran back as Souta knelt down next to his sister, his arm reaching out in concern. “Kagome! Are you all right?” His shaking hand went towards the wound, and Kagome pulled her arm away, even as she moaned in pain.

“Souta, don't touch it. This wound is evil – the darkness caused it.” Souta rubbed her back, tears running down his face as he watched his sister pull the blackened fabric away from the bubbling oozing wound with her other hand.

Jiji hurried towards them as fast as his older limbs would allow him, having finally managed to climb down from the safety of the tree limb where Kagome had left him. He knelt down in front of Kagome as she gritted her teeth in agony.

“It hurts Jiji”, she whimpered, biting her lip, doing her best not to cry. She was no longer a child; she was an apprentice miko, and these types of injuries were now her lot in life as a protector of her village. But it burned so badly.

Her grandfather smoothed the damp hair away from her face, his own eyes bright. “You were very brave little bird”, he murmured brokenly. “So very brave. But at what cost?”

The men from village guard arrived, crowding around in concern.

“Kagome has been hurt!”

“Where is Kaede? Here she comes!”

Kaede arrived, being carried on the back of Tetsu the blacksmith, the largest man in the village. “You must keep away from her, all of you”, she called out, her voice quavering as she tried to yell over the concerned muttering of the men. “Everyone, stay back!”

Sliding off Tetsu’s back, she knelt down next to Kagome, her expression grave. “My child, what have you allowed to be done to yourself?”

“I had to Kaede”, Kagome panted. “The boys were right in its path. I tried to turn it away with words, but he would not listen. I had to act.”

Kaede sighed, bowing her head. Souta looked from Kagome to Kaede and Jiji, his expression frantic. “Kaede-sama, please help her! What shall we do?” Kaede handed him a small gourd, filled with clear water taken from the shrine.

“Take this and pour it over her wound, child, slowly.” Nodding through his tears, Souta grabbed the gourd and uncorked it, murmuring apologies as Kagome whimpered, the water steaming when it hit the burnt and blistered flesh of her arm.

“Will it heal?” her grandfather asked urgently.

Kaede’s expression was grave. “I am unsure. I have never before seen an injury such as this. I will have to consult the Kami. But first…” She stood up and turned to the huge boar laying on the ground, its sides heaving slowly. The darkness that had controlled it was beginning to disappear, like wisps in the wind.

Kaede bowed low before the boar.

“O nameless god of rage and hate, I bow before you. A mound will be raised and funeral rites performed on this ground where you have fallen. Pass on in peace and bear us no hatred.”

A sizzling sound came from the boar, and it replied in a choking voice, as if it were being strangled.

“Disgusting little creatures, soon all of you will feel my hate...and suffer as I have suffered.”

The last of the darkness ebbed away, and the boar began to rot before their eyes, as if its very life essence were being sucked away, weeks of decay occurring in moments. The men gave up a collective gasp of horror as it happened before their eyes, then there was only bleached white bones and tattered skin left.

Kagome shivered where she sat. The hatred that had poured off the youkai before it passed - it was thick and viscous enough that you could almost cut through it like a knife, and it weighed on her like a stone. Even though she fought to stay conscious, the pain of her injury combined with the malice that seemed to bruise her very soul caused her eyes to roll back in her head, the worried calls of Shippou, Jiji and Souta sounding like they came from a place far away.

* * *

When she came back to herself, even before opening her eyes, she knew she was in Kaede’s hut. Her injured arm felt like it had been coated in some sort of salve and wrapped in cool linen. She twitched her fingers nervously, waiting for the pain to erupt in a fierce attack on her reiki as it had when she had first been injured, but now it felt more like a normal burn. It still ached, but she suspected the pain was muted and that the salve that had been applied was one of Kaede’s numbing creams. A cool damp cloth placed on her forehead made her startle and open her eyes. Her lip trembled as she realised who was sitting beside her, stroking back her damp hair.

“Mama?”

“Shh. I’m here little sparrow, do not fret.”

Kagome tried to sit up and back away. “Mama, you shouldn’t be so close to me. What if the darkness burns you too!”

“Hush, just relax”, Mama soothed, “you need to rest. Lay back down. Kaede is discussing what has happened with the village elders in the other room.”

Kagome shook her head. Now that she was more awake, she could hear the murmurs of low male voices coming from the main room in Kaede’s small hut. “Mama, I need to be there. Help me up please.”

Despite her mother’s protests, Kagome moved to stand, taking a deep breath to calm her heart and her reiki. She could feel it crackling under her skin, as if it were still wanting to defend her against the darkness that had been vanquished. But that danger had now passed, and the darkness had retreated back towards the forest. But it might still be out there, close by. She needed to tell Kaede and the others what she had seen, so that they could protect the village.

Pushing aside the woven blind that separated the two spaces, Kagome stepped into Kaede’s main room, blinking at the sudden brightness from the firepit that lit the area. Seeing the village elders sitting in a row near the back wall, her grandfather amongst them, she bowed low, then knelt in her usual position near the irori.

Kaede smiled kindly at her, but her expression was grave.

“It is good to see you awake again child.” She sighed and returned her attention to the elders.

“I'm afraid the news is very bad. I have consulted with the Kami and they tell me the boar youkai came from far to the west. He had some kind of shōki inside him, driving him mad, a poisonous hatred that consumed his heart and flesh… and turned him into a monster.”

She turned back to Kagome.

“Kagome, my child?”

“Yes Kaede-sama?”

“Remove the bandage and show the elders your right arm.”

Taking a deep breath, Kagome unwound the linen bandage, wincing a little at the pain the movement caused, even with the numbing salve applied. She held her arm out straight so the elders could see. Her arm was covered in a thin layer of salve, but the raised and blackened whorls on her pale flesh where the darkness had wrapped around her forearm were easily visible. At the men’s horrified looks and panicked murmurs, she felt a sudden feeling of shame, as if she should hide. But she had done nothing wrong! She had been protecting the boys, and her village! She had done what a miko should do! She straightened her spine, sitting as tall as she could.

Kaede sighed again. “Kagome, my dear apprentice, are you prepared to learn what fate the Kami have foretold you?” Kagome’s stomach pitched and rolled – the look on Kaede’s face was one of someone who was the unhappy bearer of bad news. Taking a deep breath she nodded.

“Yes Kaede-sama, I was prepared the very moment that I let my arrow fly.”

Kaede’s voice was gentle. “The infection will spread throughout your whole body, bone and flesh alike. It will cause you great pain and then kill you.” Kagome closed her eyes, a chill rushing down her spine. She heard the anguished voice of her grandfather.

“Kaede-sama, please! Is there no way we can stop it? My granddaughter got that wound by defending our village and saving the lives of three young boys! Surely the Kami could not be so cruel. Are we meant to just sit here and watch her die?” Kaede shook her head sadly.

“We cannot alter this fate.”

With her eyes still closed, Kagome could hear a sudden anguished wail from the other room where her mother still sat, and the harsh intake of breath from the elders. Her heart beat faster, as if it were trying to outrun the sentence passed, her mind whirling in sudden panic.

All her dreams of being a protector, a helper, one who the villagers could count on in their time of need, gone in an instant. But looking back, she could think of nothing she would have done differently. The boys were innocent, and did not deserve death. She had protected them, saved them. She had saved her brother. And if the kami decreed that she had to give her own life in payment for the lives of three young boys, so be it. She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes to see Kaede gazing at her, the older woman’s own grief plain to see upon her face.

“You cannot alter your fate, my daughter. However, you can rise to meet it, if you choose. Look at this.” Resting in Kaede’s palm was a small ball of dark metal. “This iron ball was found in the boar's body. This is what hurt him so. It shattered his bones and burned its way deep inside him. This is what turned him into a monster. There is evil at work in the land to the west, Kagome. The kami have told me that it is your fate to go there and see what you can see with eyes unclouded by hate. You may find a way to lift the curse. Do you understand?”

Kagome drew in a sharp breath. Leave the village? Leave behind Mama and Jiji and Souta and Shippou, and everyone she had ever known? She was so happy here! But if this is what the Kami had decreed…

“Yes, Kaede-sama. I understand.”

Taking a deep breath, she turned to the small table nearby, where only yesterday, she had cut and pounded herbs for a poultice, happy in her work. She took up the small sharp knife in her hands. It was tradition in her village for miko to wear their hair in a long tail down their back, and to leave it uncut while they served their village. It was a symbol of her status in the village. Now she must sever those ties. Ties with her village, her mentor, her family.

Trying not to think about it too much, to ensure the tears currently burning the backs of her eyes did not spill, she pulled the long tail of hair hanging down her back taut, then sawed through the hair above the white ribbon. Her now chin length hair fell forwards about her face, and she bit her bottom lip savagely, to stop the tears that wanted to fall. She laid the long tail of hair down on the table amongst the herbs, then turned to Kaede, bowing low.

“Our laws forbid us from watching you go, Kagome-chan. Whatever comes to pass now, you are dead to us forever.”

She heard the quaver in Kaede’s voice, and longed to move forward to embrace the old woman that she considered a second mother, one who had guided her over the last six summers, ever since she had shown the first signs of possessing reiki. Kagome’s hands curled into fists, her knuckles scraping against the rough tatami floor, scuffed by many feet. She could hear muffled sobs coming from the other room, where her mother wept for her fate, and her grandfather’s head was bowed, along with many of the other men amongst the elders. She wanted to rail against fate like a child, to stomp and scream. A feeling of anger welled up inside her, and the burns on her arm seemed to throb in time with her racing heart. Keeping her head bowed, she rewrapped her arm, then rose to her feet, not looking back. She could only just hear Kaede’s tearful whisper.

“Farewell my child. May the Kami watch over you.”

* * *

Kagome added a water flask, a tinderbox and some dried meat and fruit to the leather satchel she had found in the village storeroom. She had already changed out of her miko clothing, and was now wearing the kosode, hakama and boots she found folded neatly on a shelf. They had belonged to a young man who had died recently, and had been placed in the storeroom ready to be passed on to someone that may need them.

She remembered that young man. He had been kind, and straightforward, accepting of his fate, even though the blood poisoning that killed him was undeserved. The boots felt massive, she had to fold over the waistband of the hakama that were much too long for her, and the kosode was a little loose, the shoulders cut much wider than her small frame, but it seemed fitting to leave the village wearing a dead man’s clothing. She pulled a straw rain cape down off a hook near the door; she would probably need it, travelling alone through the world with no where to call home. With a heavy sigh, she shouldered her pack along with her bow and quiver, and walked silently toward the village gate, making as little noise as she could.

“Kagome!”

Kagome turned, dropping her pack in surprise. “Mama, Souta, Ji-chan! What are you doing here? You know it is forbidden!”

Her mother smiled at her tearfully. “Do you think we care about that? We came to give you these, so you won't forget your family.” In her hands she held out a treasured family heirloom, an obsidian crystal dagger, the haft wrapped in plaited leather so that it could be worn around the neck.

“Your crystal dagger? Mama, I can’t take this – Papa gave this to you!” Mama pressed it into Kagome’s shaking hands.

“Please, my daughter, keep it with you, to protect you. You must take it with you. Please, I want you to have it, so you won't forget.”

“Mama, you know I could never forget you. I love you, all of you.” Biting her lip, she pulled the braided leather over her head, wearing the dagger like a necklace. Her mother smiled, her eyes wet with tears. She stroked Kagome’s face lovingly.

“It suits you daughter. Remember us when you use it, and remember that you carry our pride with you, wherever your journey takes you.”

With a sob, Souta flung his arms around her waist, burying his head in her stomach. “Kagome, I’m so sorry”, he wept brokenly. “If I hadn’t been in the forest, if I’d come back as soon as the bell rang, if I hadn’t fallen…” Kagome stroked his head, trying to soothe him.

“That’s a lot of ifs, Souta”, she said gently. She bent down, so she could look him in the eye. “Please, don’t be sad. I chose to save you, and given the chance to change things, I would do it again. That’s what big sisters are for right?”

Souta sniffed, and stepped back. “I wanted to give you this. Papa gave it to me, but you might need it more.” He pulled out a red hood from inside his kosode, thrusting it into her hands, then turned to hide his face against Mama, burying his sobs against her while she stroked his back soothingly.

Her grandfather stepped forwards, placing a small earthernware pot in her hands, and a stoppered gourd. “I got these from Kaede. Salve for your injury, and sacred water from the shrine. The salve should be good for many days she said, if you use it sparingly.”

Kagome nodded, blinking back tears. “Thank you Jiji.” She put on the red hood, shoved the pot and gourd into her bag, then stood, taking one last long look at her family, knowing she would never see them again.

Smiling through her tears, she whispered, “Thank you, all of you. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. I love you, and will always remember you.” She bowed deeply, then before her courage could fail her, she turned and jogged out of the village gates into the night, wiping her tears as she ran.

A fox ran out of the tall grass to move alongside her.

“You didn’t think I’d let you leave all by yourself now, did you Kagome? Hop on slowpoke.”

“Shippou!” gasped Kagome tearfully, slowing to a stop and running her hands through the thick red fur on his shoulders. “Are you sure about this? You do realise that I’m never coming back?”

“Course I’m sure”, he yipped. “I haven’t got any family apart from you Kagome. I’m not going to leave you to face this alone.”

“Thank you Shippou. Thank you so much”, she whispered, climbing onto his back. She bent down low and pressed a small kiss between his furry ears. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Shippou snorted, his paws scraping at the ground in a bashful sort of way. “Lets get moving while the moon is up. We can find somewhere to camp after we’re a good way away from the village.”

“Alright. We go together”, said Kagome firmly. She wiped away her tears, then wound her fingers into her friend’s thick fur. He sprang away, running off along the path in the moonlight.

* * *

Mama did her best to comfort Souta even as her own tears fell, clouding her last glimpse of her daughter and kitsune friend as they ran off into the dark night and an uncertain future. A figure moved out of the shadows nearby to join them. Jiji cleared his throat, his voice still sounding thick with unshed tears.

“Do you think she will be alright Kaede-sama?”

Kaede patted him on the shoulder. “I cannot see that far ahead. But Kagome-chan has a pure heart, and a strong will, and her reiki is more powerful than any other miko I have seen in my lifetime, even though she did not complete her training. I cannot believe that the Kami do not have some other destiny planned for her, one larger than being a miko in this tiny village.”

She bowed twice, clapped twice, then bowed again, murmuring a final prayer to the Kami for Kagome’s continued safety. Then she reached up to wrap an arm around Mama’s shaking shoulders, guiding her and Souta back towards their hut, with Jiji following close behind.

“Come away now, it would do you no good to catch a chill in the cool night air”, she said kindly but firmly. “Let me make you a calming pot of tea. We have done all we can for her. Kagome’s fate is in her own hands now.”


End file.
